Beginning this Friday and running through March 24, scientists, educators and industry professionals will descend on the city for the 2018 Atlanta Science Festival. From droids to drones, circuitry to STEAM, nature to nutrition, festival-goers of all ages can enjoy more than 100 free or inexpensive presentations and hands-on activities all around Metro Atlanta that allow them to explore the magic and mystery of science.

Robot Launch Event

Emceed by WSB-TV Severe Weather Team 2 meteorologist, Katie Walls, the Atlanta Science Festival kicks off Friday with a “Rise Up, Robots!” launch event at Georgia Tech featuring droid comedians, robot musicians and a fleet of interactive robots. Sponsored by Lockheed Martin, attendees can enjoy the light jazz stylings of a marimba-playing robot, make a pass through an interactive Robot Petting Zoo and see science fiction come to life as engineer, Steward Coulter, Ph.D., demonstrates a prosthetic, bionic arm.

Ice cream science, STEM puppets and more Available for kids, teens and families

The Atlanta Science Festival will also host family-friendly activities, demonstrations and presentations all festival long.

On Saturday, March 10, middle-schoolers can visit Grady High School and experience Drones for Good – a free presentation and drone-flying competition that teaches students what drones do and how they work.

If your family is more the outdoors type, join instructors at Zoo Atlanta for a nature trek to Grant Park on Saturday, to explore and learn about the natural world that exists within Atlanta’s urban environment. Tickets are $5.

High Road Ice Cream invites families to come learn about the science and engineering that goes into some of their most popular ice cream flavors. Tour the facility, taste-test ice cream and catch an ice cream chef demo on Saturday at noon (note: this event is currently sold out, but a waiting list may be added).

On Sunday, March 11, the High Museum of Art hosts a Full STEAM Ahead Family Day where parents and kids can come and see how science, technology, engineering and math connect with art through presentations and hands-on activities.

Also on Sunday, The Drew Charter School explores the beauty of math through performative dance with Mathematics in Motion, and the Hereafter Artist Collective, in collaboration with Flight of Swallows and Georgia Tech, bring Carl Sagan’s Golden Record from the Voyager Space Mission to life through performance art.

Other Events

Parents can bring their children to the Center for Puppetry Arts to learn hands-on how puppetry and STEM work together.

Festival-goers can learn about bugs and bees and every creepy, crawly thing in between from entomologists at the University of Georgia Clayton County Extension in Jonesboro (note: this event is sold out but those interested can be added to a waiting list).

The Atlanta Botanical Garden introduces toddlers to life science concepts such as metamorphosis through their Spouting Scientists event, with treks through spring flowers and hands-on science stations.

Families can come celebrate Pi Day at Kennesaw State University’s Pi Day Extravaganza, and learn about the concept of pi through math and science demonstrations – while eating the tasty, flaky, edible kind, too.

Middle school and teenage Star Wars fans can visit the Ponce de Leon library to learn how George Lucas’ Hoth, Naboo and Dagobath were inspired by geological formations on our own planet in Bio-Bus: Star Wars Geoscience.

Georgia Aquarium biologists and researches demonstrate the dangerous impact our waste is having on the world’s oceans, and what we can do to protect them for future generations.

Teen fans of shows like CSI and Law & Order can investigate a mock crime scene, gather evidence and visit a forensics lab as part of the Crime Scene Investigation Squad at Georgia Gwinnett College School of Science and Technology.

This year’s Science Festival wraps with a free, rain-or-shine Exploration Expo on March 24 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Piedmont Park. Kids and adults of all ages are invited to explore 100 different hands-on activities, booths, science demonstrations and shows – including touching a human brain.